Israeli Energy Minister: Iran Has So Far Honored Its JCPOA Commitments

The Israeli Energy Minister criticized the nuclear agreement reached last year between Iran and world powers but acknowledged that Iran has so far fulfilled its commitments under this agreement. According to AFP, Yuval Steinitz made these remarks on Sunday, August 7, in an interview with Israeli media. The JCPOA, an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries, was reached thirteen months ago after more than two years of intensive negotiations, and six months have passed since its implementation. Under this agreement, Iran significantly limited its nuclear program, and the Security Council lifted sanctions imposed against Iran, but some unilateral U.S. sanctions and restrictions on dollar transactions for Iran remain in place. Yuval Steinitz, a minister close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on Sunday to the Hebrew section of Israel Radio that the agreement with Iran was 'a bad deal,' but it is also a fact that Iran has fulfilled its commitments in the first year, and we must ensure that this adherence continues throughout the twelve years of the agreement. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, defended the JCPOA and its 'benefits for the region and the world' on Thursday, August 4, in Washington, stating that even the Israeli military and security institutions acknowledge that Iran has honored its commitments. However, on Friday, August 5, a statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense sharply reacted to Obama, comparing the JCPOA to the 'Munich Agreement' of 1938 between the European powers and Adolf Hitler. According to the 'Munich Agreement,' the German-speaking parts of Czechoslovakia were annexed to Nazi Germany, but Hitler did not stop there and, in September the following year, invaded Poland, plunging Europe and the world into the bloody Second World War, during which the Holocaust occurred. Hours after the statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, a second statement from the Prime Minister's Office was issued, which somewhat distanced itself from the Ministry of Defense's statement, stating that the common goal against Iran should now be 'complete monitoring of Iran's compliance with nuclear commitments, curbing regional ambitions, and Iran-backed terrorism.' According to Israeli media, Netanyahu also spoke with the U.S. ambassador in Tel Aviv about the Ministry of Defense's statement on Saturday. Meanwhile, Harel Margalit, spokesperson for the Zionist Union, the main opposition faction in Israel, accused Netanyahu on Sunday, August 7, in an interview with the Hebrew section of Israel Radio, of being the one behind the issuance of the Ministry of Defense's statement and expressing his true opinions in it. Mr. Margalit told the radio that Netanyahu then deceptively issued the second statement in the name of the Prime Minister's Office, humiliating his new defense minister Avigdor Lieberman and presenting himself favorably to the U.S. The apparent new 'conflict' between Israel and the U.S. comes as Israel seeks to finalize a package of military aid it receives from the U.S. for the next ten years and is trying to pressure Washington to increase the volume of aid.